The Western Wind Blows Hardest
by darkexcaliber13
Summary: Completely different story than Story of Dex. A story about a young man who builds a pirate crew and completely destroys the shape of the world. Reviews are greatly appreciated!
1. Zephyr

Alright...so I did some thinking...and I decided that I don't like the Story of Dex any longer. I don't know where to go from where I left it off. So, I've decided to restart it under a new title with brand new characters. Basically, this is a brand new story. So just roll with it, mk?

Here we go...

The Western Wind Blows Hardest

Another ordinary day. That's all Fune Geranve wanted today to be. An ordinary girl living in that small town of Violeta on Bloom Island, a relatively normal town in the worst of the four seas, the West. She just wanted today to be another day of living alone, doing some shopping, working out, and then going home for dinner. Why couldn't today just be like that?

But, unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. Fune Geranve woke up today and her life was never the same. Because today, pirates attacked her village. And today, she would become one too.

However, at the moment, it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Which might be because she's being cornered by some of the said pirates. Shall we join her?

"You guys are total slimeballs. Get the hell away from me!" Fune said as she lashed out a kick against her attackers. She had been picking berries in the forest, and hadn't been looking where she was headed. So naturally, she ran smack dab into three pirates. The two on the left and right of her seemed pretty weak to her. But this one in the middle, he seemed like the captain. And he seemed strong enough. He blocked her foot, grabbed it, and tossed her to the floor. Fune rose and tried swinging her foot again, but the big man was one step quicker.

"All right, girlie, let's get something straight," he said, grabbing her foot out of the air, "I'm the boss here. So when I say let's see what you got under that shirt, I mean let's see what you got!" And with that, he proceeded to smack her across the face, knocking her down again. Fune stood up, wiped the blood coming from her mouth off, and started running. The big man in the middle laughed. "They always run! Boys, get her!"

The two pirates next to him nodded and grinned. "You got it, boss!" They said as they howled with laughter themselves. They tucked into a run after the girl, who only ran harder. "Dammit!" She thought to herself. "The town's up ahead! I have to warn the people!" She ducked under a branch and headed towards town, running as fast as she could. "Everyone! Pirates! Find cover now! She said as she ran into town square. The people gasped and started panicking, running to whatever building they could find. Fune herself ran into the bar at the end of the street and locked the windows and doors. The bartender and the patrons joined her at the window as she peered out and saw the big man and all of his crew meet in the center of the town square.

"Damn...there must be 30 of them! We can't take all of them!" One man said. The bartender, who was an older man, shook his head. "Well do we have another choice? These guys don't look like they're leaving anytime soon. I've seen a lot of pirate in my time, and I can tell that these guys are the type to take a town over and remake it as a base. We need to chase them out now, or they might never leave." Suddenly, a glass broke at the bar, and everyone turned to see what had happened.

"Aw jeez, sorry. I guess I wasn't looking where I was going." The man who had broken the glass said. "But I couldn't help but overhear what you were saying, and I think I have an idea." Fune broke through the crowd to get a good look at the man. He couldn't have been much older than her, maybe a year or so, but he practically oozed toughness. He had a black undershirt with only one sleeve, while his right arm was heavily bandaged. He had very baggy camouflage shorts, and wooden sandals with socks. But his face was where everyone was looking. He had the iciest blue eyes you had ever seen, and an X shaped tattoo over his left eye. His hair, however, was even stranger. It was messily spiked, but it was a bluish green color, not one Fune had ever seen before.

"Really? And what might that idea be?" The bartender asked. The man laughed. "Look, there are pirates out there, right? Can I get a look at them?" The patrons looked among themselves, shrugged, and nodded to the man. He went over to the window and looked out. "Hmm...23. Mk. I can take them out for you." He looked back at the bartender and smiled. "But it's gonna cost you."

The patrons started scowling. "Just you? Alone? Sorry, kid, but forgive us if we can't believe you. Are you even old enough to be in the bar?" The man laughed. "Yes, I'm 22. Look, you can pay me after I'm done, OK?" The bartender smirked. "Fine, kid. If you go out there and take care of all those pirates, I'll give you free drinks for life, OK?" The kid shook his head. "No way. I want a ship. But let's leave the details until after I'm done, K?" The bartender nodded and pointed out the door. "Better get going."

The man nodded and exited the store. Immediately, everyone was at the windows again. Fune looked at the person next to her and elbowed him in the ribs. "What?!" The man said. "Haven't you seen him before? He looks familiar..." Fune said. The man concentrated for a second, then shrugged. "Sorry, I don't think I have." Fune scowled and went over to the window.

The man walked up to one of the grunts and tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me?" He said. The pirate turned around, scowling. "Whaddya wa-" was all he could get out before the man punched him in the face, knocking him out. All the other pirates turned towards him, and the man took a stance, waving them to come on.

As the pirates charged, Fune could feel the wind pick up suddenly. The rest happened in a blur. The man suddenly charged, and with a single movement, all the other pirates had fallen, knocked out cold. The townspeople were in awe. "What...what the hell was that?!" The bartender almost yelled. Fune just stared at the man, who was smirking wildly.

"Damn...here I thought they'd be a better challenge." The man said as he looked around. "Wait a sec...where's their captain?" As he said that, the big man from before exited the forest, having heard the commotion. "What the hell! Who did this to my crew!" He yelled. He stared at the man, looking him dead in the eye. "You! I'll kill you!" He said, as he pulled out a giant bladed wheel. "Ah...there we go." The man said. "Xela the Giant Wheel...bounty 3,000,000 beri." The man said, pulling out a wanted poster. "I've been chasing you for a while now, Xela. You've got something that belongs to me. I want it back."

Xela laughed. "Asshole! I've never met you in my life! But that doesn't matter, prepare to die!" He took his giant wheel and threw it at the man, who just stood there. The townspeople watched with shock from the window. "Get the hell outta there, kid! He's gonna kill you!" The bartender yelled, completely oblivious to the bet he had made. Fune suddenly sprinted out of the door, and yelled at the man, "GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

The man looked at Fune, smiled, and...the wheel passed right through him, sticking itself in the wall behind him. Xela, Fune, and the townspeople's jaws hit the floor at about the same time. Xela was the first to recover. "What...what the hell are you?!" he yelled. The man laughed. "Oh come on, now, you've heard of me!" Suddenly, the man disappeared. Xela heard something, almost a whisper, "You've never heard of the Mirage?" All the color in his face pulled a Houdini. "No...no...not you, not you of all people!"

Fune glanced to her left and right. Where was the man? It was like he vanished into thin air. Suddenly, the man appeared behind Xela. "I knew you'd heard of me." Xela turned and punched, but the man had gone again. "You're weak. And I'm tired of playing with you." The voice said again. This time Fune heard it. "What the...that's that man's voice! But where is he?" She thought to herself.

"I know who you are now! You're that man! The one with the 30,000,000 beri bounty on his head!" Xela shouted as the man appeared behind him. "Yep, that's me. **Vorpal Rapier!**" He shouted, and Fune saw it. A green beam appeared from the man's fist, and extended out towards Xela, piercing him through the chest. Xela's eyes rolled back, and before he hit the ground, he uttered one last statement. "You're the Sky King, Zephyr D. Cymballia!"

Zephyr sighed and the beam disappeared. "Jeez...i really gotta get rid of this stupid bounty thing." He looked towards Fune. "You got a name?" She stared, shook her head, and recovered. "Uh...Fune. Do you really have a bounty that high?" The man nodded. "Yep. I'm a wanted man. I'm wanted for piracy. I'm a pirate, in case you couldn't figure that out." He said with a grin. Suddenly, Zephyr was overrun with townspeople, who had run from their homes to celebrate with their savior. "You're a hero, kid! We owe you our lives!" They cheered. Suddenly, they dispersed, looking around. Fune tried getting to the center of the crowd, but Zephyr had vanished. Suddenly, she heard the voice again. "Say...could you let me stay at your house?" She looked around, before slowly nodding. "Good! Well, lead the way. I'm not gonna stay as a human if I'm just gonna get mobbed. You don't mind, do you?"

Fune sighed and shook her head. She started walking towards her house, which was on the other side of town. While on the way, she started talking. "So...who are you?" She heard laughing, and suddenly the wind picked up. "Haha, I told you! My name's Zephyr. Zephyr D. Cymballia. I'm a pirate. Or, at least, I used to be. I was marooned on this island by my old crew about...a week ago? I've been trying to find a ship ever since. And you?"

She smiled and kept walking. "Fune. Fune Geranve. I've lived on this island ever since I was a little girl. My parents died when I was young, so I learned how to navigate to work as a tour guide and make money for myself. I'm pretty good at it, if I do say so myself." She looked up towards the sky. "Say, how do you do that thing? You know, where you disappear?" There was silence for a while, then, "About ten years ago I ate the Wind-Wind Fruit. At the time, I had no idea what Devil Fruits even were. But the next day, when I woke up, I was part of the wind. As it turns out, the Wind-Wind Fruit was a Logia type, and it made me one with the wind. So that's what I am right now."

Fune nodded, but inside she was thinking. "So...he ate a Devil Fruit. I'm amazed, I thought those were fake. Hmm...maybe I can use him to further my dream." She suddenly stopped in front of a house. "Here we are. My humble abode." She said sarcastically. "Gee, thanks! I'll get myself settled in then." The voice said. Suddenly, the second floor window opened, and Zephyr reappeared, climbing through it. Fune looked at him and sweatdropped. "That guy could be a total perv if he really wanted to..."

The next day, Fune woke up and found that Zephyr had left a note. "Some commotion down at the village. Maybe the pirates are back. Gonna go check it out. Meet me down there later, we need to talk." Fune scowled. "We need to talk? What the hell?" Fune ripped up the note and sprinted outside. When she looked out, her hands flew up to her mouth and her eyes became very panicked.

In the middle of town, Zephyr was fighting a man in a black cloak. The cloak had red Satanic looking symbols on it, and stretched all the way down to his feet. The man held a strange weapon in each hand. They looked like hooks, except their edges were bladed and there was a small knife at the end of the hilt. Even the hilt itself was almost like a blade. It was clear that this man was a professional at killing. But that wasn't what scared her. What scared her was Zephyr. He was bleeding from his right eye, and he had various cuts all around his body. She ran up to the crowd around the two and started listening.

"Dammit...Haki? Who the hell are you?" Zephyr said in anger as he threw a punch at the man, who laughed and flipped out of the way. "My name is Rai. Rai Kolluptos. You may know me as...The Boogeyman." With that, he took the ends of his two hooks, combined them, and swung them around towards Zephyr. "**Crow Cut!" **Rai yelled as his hook-whip connected with Zephyr, sending him flying across the pavement.

"Ugh! This guy's really strong!" Zephyr thought as he laid on the floor. "Hmm...yep. I've decided." He said aloud as he rose up. He looked up towards Rai, who had perched himself on the top of a building, and grinned. "I've got two questions for ya, Rai." Rai grinned right back at him. "Shoot."

Zephyr sat down and started untying the bandages off of his arm. "Why are you here?" Rai laughed. "30,000,000 beri? If I beat you, I can get a bounty over 50,000,000. Then the man that I've been looking for might finally take notice of me. And I can kill him once and for all!" He said as he jumped off of the building and set his hooks in an X formation. "**Camel Slam!**" He said as he slashed downwards at Zephyr. Fune cringed as she heard the swords connect with flesh, then gasped as she saw what was under the bandages of Zephyr's arm. There was actually no arm at all, but a solid green colored arm, which seemed to be made out of air. "**Vorpal Arm Mode Change: Buzzsaw.**" Zephyr said as his arm suddenly changed shape into a whirling saw. "Second question. If I beat you, will you join my pirate crew?" Rai grinned. "Only if you knock me out and drag my ass on board. Then I'll follow any order you give me." Zephyr gave a grin right back. "Good. **Vorpal Buzzsaw**!" He yelled as he brought the buzzsaw up and connected with the twin hooks just in time, saving him from being attacked again. The saw cut around the hooks, and sliced into Rai's skin, damaging him. Rai flew down to the ground, bloody. "Damn. Wasn't expecting that. Is that...an air vortex? Whatever. I'll finish you with my best attack." He put the ends of his hooks parallel to each other, and ran up to Zephyr. "**Eagle Wing**!" He cried as he swung them sideways in an attempted beheading. Zephyr, however, was prepared.

"Amazing! But I've got a couple of tricks myself, bastard! **Vorpal Funnel!**" He clasped both of his hands together, like he did before, only this time Fune knew what she was seeing. The wind created from the clap was so immense that Rai had to halt his attack and was blown back a good 10 feet. By the time he recovered, Zephyr was ready. "**Vorpal Rage!**" He shouted as he threw his fist forward and multiple beams of air shot out of it, all of them pounding Rai until he fell back on his ass. As he slowly started to rise, Zephyr was behind him, smirking. "Sorry. **Vorpal Jet!**" He said as he used the power of the wind to increase the speed of his punch so much that it knocked out Rai almost instantly. Rai fell to the floor and Zephyr, panting, was not far behind him. "Damn...say, Fune!" He yelled. Fune ran over and smacked him. "What the hell do you want?" she said as the townspeople shaked with fear behind her. "She's a demon kicking that man..." they all thought simultaneously.

Zephyr grinned. "Can you reattach the bandages on my right arm? It might disperse if I don't keep it under control." Fune sighed and nodded. "Fine. Just because I owe you one." She wrapped his hand up in bandages, and suddenly Rai started to wake up. "Damn...where am-" Zephyr stood up and clubbed him on the head with his left hand, and that knocked him out again. He looked over at the bartender and grinned. "All right, old guy, let's see that boat." The bartender laughed and nodded. "Yep, it's right over here." Zephyr grinned and picked up Rai. "Lead the way."

The bartender started walking towards the harbor, and Zephyr followed him. Suddenly, Fune had the incredible urge to follow him. Apparently, everyone else in the town had the same urge, because suddenly they were all chasing after him. The bartender led Zephyr to a small row boat, and pointed. "Thar she blows. Get in." Zephyr grinned and nodded, and then threw Rai into the boat. When he landed on the boat, he woke up and laughed. "You win. I'm your crewman now. Where we headed?" Zephyr scratched his head. "Umm...I really don't know. I suck at navigating. Which is partly why my old crew marooned me here about a week ago. But I think I know how we can get off the island." He turned towards the crowd of people and vanished. Fune craned her neck to try and find him, but he reappeared right behind her. "Wanna come with us?" He asked, making her jump. She turned around and smacked him, but her hand passed right through him. He kept his grin up as she kept trying to smack him. Eventually she gave up. "Fine. I'll go with you. But so help me, if you try anything funny, I'll kill you both, got it?"

Zephyr and Rai looked at each other and laughed. "Yup, got it!" They both said. Fune sighed and turned around. "Well, I'm off then. Bye guys. See you when I come back." She climbed into the boat, and started rowing. Zephyr grinned. "Guys, I think this is gonna be the start of a beautiful journey." He stared up into the sky and closed his eyes. Slowly, the wind blew the boat closer to their next destination.

This is only the first part of the Sky King's role in the history of the world.

So I know some of you are going to be upset that I completely destroyed Dex and his crew...but don't worry, you just might see some old characters pop up. Oh and as for Zephyr's last name...remember Terros? Possible relation? Maybe. Well, please review, and I can't wait to get on this new story! Thanks!


	2. 1st Crew I

Hooray! The second chapter's up! How exciting! Btw, if you want to see what Rai's weapons look like, go to this website: .org/wiki/Twin_hooks

Now then, back to the story.

The Western Wind Blows Hardest

1st Crew I

"Christ, Rai, don't drink all the rum!" Zephyr yelled as he pounced on his crewman. Rai held the rum away from his captain's grabbing arms as he laughed. "Aw jeez, come on, Cap'n, if you're gonna hijack me against my will and make me sail for you, I think I deserve a little rum." He attempted to start drinking again, but Zephyr snatched the bottle away. "THAT'S YOUR 10TH BOTTLE!" he yelled. Rai laughed drunkenly. "Yeah, guess it is...you gonna give it back?" "NO!"

"Hey! Idiot Captain! Idiot Swordsman!" Fune cried as she turned away from navigating. "So help me god, if I hear you arguing again, I will flip this boat over and let you drown! Got it?" Zephyr nodded with a quiet "Yes ma'am." Rai huffed and turned away. "I'm not a swordsman." he whispered to himself. "Swordsmen are macho idiots who get more powerful from a frickin bandanna." Fune turned back around, fire blazing in her eyes. "You saying something, Rai?" Rai meekly shook his head. "Nope. Not at all. Nothing to say, ma'am." Zephyr tried his hardest not to chuckle.

Suddenly, Fune jumped up. "Land! Oh, thank god! We were almost out of rations!" she cried as she pointed. Rai sighed. "Yeah, and rum. Let's land and go to a bar." Fune stared back at him with an eyebrow raised. "Did you forget we have no money? Or were you planning on me just magically finding some?" Zephyr stood up. "If it's money you need, I've got a good way to get it." he said with a grin. Fune immediately put her arms in the no symbol. "We are NOT hunting for bounties!" she said. "Each one of you has a high bounty already!" Zephyr laughed. "That wasn't my idea. My idea was to steal it." Fune smacked him over the head. "We are not going to steal from people! I thought you were a good pirate!" Zephyr frowned. "I didn't mean the people." he pointed to the left of the ship. "I meant those guys."

Fune and Rai looked over towards the left. About 30 feet from them was a huge galleon. Fune's eyes grew wide at seeing it. "When did that get there?" Rai said with obvious indifference. "How do you expect to steal from that? There must be 40-50 people on board!" Fune said, hysterical. Zephyr grinned. "Easy. We beat them up." With that, he clasped his hands together and disappeared. Rai raised an eyebrow. "The hands thing is new." he said aloud. "Ah well. Say, Fune, toss me overboard." She turned to him, an evil grin on her face. "Why, of course."

"I DIDN'T MEAN AT THE SHIP!" Rai yelled as he flew towards the galleon. He closed his eyes and curled into a ball as he collided with the bottom of the ship, breaking the wood cleanly and landing in the cannon area. Soon, he was surrounded. "It's...a person? Who the hell is it?" one man said. Another, who seemed to be a first mate or something of the sort, tried to disperse the crowd, but failed. Then, he poked Rai. "Hey, buddy. Wake up. I don't wanna have to hurt you, but-" He said before Rai rose his hook and stabbed him with the hilt. The man looked down, looked at Rai, frowned, and then fainted. The crew seemed to be in a daze for about a second, and Rai took that time to get into a stance. He stood up and held the hooks parallel to each other horizontally, and closed his eyes. "**Wolf Cyclone!**" He said as he started spinning, slicing through the crew's feeble defenses. He rushed through, finishing off the entire crew. He then looked around, satisfied with his work. "Pretty good for an attack made up right on the spot." He thought to himself. Then he went around the ship. "Now where the hell is that idiot captain?"

At the time, that "idiot captain" was getting himself in similar trouble. He had decided to reappear inside the captain's quarters, because it was the only room with a window open. However, he didn't plan on having the captain in it. "What the-" was all the other two men in the room could say before they were knocked out. The captain rose and pulled a gun on Zephyr. "Who the hell are you?!" He asked as he plugged a round of bullets into Zephyr's chest. The bullets passed through him harmlessly as he looked around the room. "Nice place you got here." Zephyr said "Now then, before I have to hurt you, will you please tell me where the treasure room is?" The captain, however, was busy unsheathing his sword and ramming it into Zephyr's stomach. Zephyr sighed. "I didn't think so. **Vorpal Jet.**" He said as he unleashed a punch so fast the captain never knew what hit him. As the captain started to fall to the floor, Zephyr looked around the cabin. "Hmm...most captains are greedy...so maybe the treasure's in here." As he said that, the floorboard underneath him collapsed, and he fell through the rotting wood. "Ow! Jeez, who the hell is their shipwright?" He wondered aloud as he dusted himself off. However, as he looked around, he realized that maybe the shipwright had done it on purpose.

In the new little room of the ship, gold was piled all around. There were literally hills of the metal. Zephyr's eyes lit up and he grinned. "Well...finders keepers." He scooped up two piles of gold and threw them up top. He was about to head back up when he noticed something on the floor. "Hm. What's this?" He wondered as he picked it up. It was a note in a bottle. Zephyr broke the bottle and read the note. "To whoever finds this note," he read, "I am gravely injured on Season Isle. I need some medical assistance, right away. High reward." It was signed, "the man on the mountain". Zephyr smiled and pocketed the letter. "High reward. Sounds interesting."

He ran outside and met up with Rai on the front deck. Rai was polishing off his hooks when Zephyr patted him on the back. "Good work. Where'd you learn to fight, by the way?" Rai looked up for a second, then back down at his hooks. "Rather not say. Bit of a touchy subject really. Let's just say that the men who taught me how to fight are in a better place now." Zephyr put his hand on Rai's shoulder. "I'm sorry for your loss. My teacher's dead too." Rai chuckled. "Right, but did you kill him?" Zephyr frowned. "It was a she, and no." Rai turned towards Zephyr, an evil smile on his face. "That's the difference between you and me."

"Hey! Double idiots! Come on, let's get to that land before I start growing gray hair!" They heard Fune call from below. The two looked at each other, shrugged, and jumped down towards the ship. After recovering from the initial shockwave, Fune pressed the two of them. "So? How much money did you guys get?" Rai held his hands up in defeat. "I didn't find anything. I searched the hull and the entire underbelly of the ship, but I couldn't find anything." Fune sighed. "And you, Cap'n?" Zephyr grinned. "Yup, I found this room inside the ship! It had a ton of gold, and this note too!" He pulled out the note and showed it to his crew. Rai and Fune grinned. "High reward sounds pretty sweet to me." Fune said. Rai nodded. "Yup. More booze." Fune smacked him before turning back to Zephyr. "So? Where's the gold?"

Zephyr suddenly looked shocked. "Oh shit." Rai stared at him in horror, and Fune slowly raised a fist. "Don't tell me...you left the gold...on the ship?" Zephyr gave a half-hearted grin, but Fune saw right through it. "You...IDIOT!" She said as she punched him off of the ship. As Rai brought him back up, she continued venting. "WHAT THE HELL?! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO GO GET GOLD SO WE COULD GET FOOD! AND YOU BRING BACK A NOTE AND NOTHING ELSE?!" Zephyr and Rai, exhausted and wet, stared at each other. "You know what's funny?" Zephyr said, completely ignoring Fune as she continued venting. "What?" Rai said. "I'm the captain." Zephyr said with a grin on his face. Rai and Zephyr started laughing uncontrollably until Fune smacked them both. "WHAT THE HELL IS SO FUNNY?!"

By the time the crew got to the shore, Zephyr and Rai had many bruises on their head and Fune's fist was white and red. "Now then. You two are going to go help that man up on the mountain. You're not coming back until you get the reward. Got it?" She said menacingly. Rai and Zephyr nodded. They both looked towards the mountain. "It's a good hour walk to get there. Another two more to climb up." Rai said. Zephyr looked at him and grinned. "Bet I can get to the top in an hour." Rai grinned. "You're on." Then they both raced off towards the mountain, leaving Fune holding her head in her hands back at the small boat. "Why did I have to sail with those two of all people?" she said to herself.

Fune shrugged and opened her small side purse. "At least I have enough money to get something for myself." She thought. "I'm glad I didn't tell those two, or I probably wouldn't have been able to do this." She started walking towards the town, until she saw something that shocked her. The island was known as Mistyic Island. Not Season Island like she had thought. Suddenly she got a feeling of great dread. She went up to a townsperson and asked them what was on the giant mountain. The townsperson shuddered in fear. "There's a lot up there. Wolfbears, Lionmonkeys, Condorfish, the list goes on and on." Fune fell to her knees in comical terror. "Those two are so going to die!" She thought to herself.

Just then, she heard the townspeople hustling over to another building. She ran over there herself, and almost yelled at the sight. A young boy was being attacked by two older men, and he was definetly not winning. The young boy was about 12 or 13, and he was wearing a blue undershirt with a green overcoat on, with a gun holster on each side of his shirt. His jeans were torn and his sneakers were origanally white, but over time had accumulated a lot of dirt. He had short brown hair, and young brown eyes, which at the moment were red from his crying.

"What the hell kid?! You promised us a great show, but all you did was fire off a couple of bullets at us! You tryin to kill us or somethin?" One of the men said. The other nodded and pulled out some brass knuckles. "We gonna hafta teach you a lesson, lil one." He said as he swung his fist at the kid. However, Fune's foot got in the way. "What the hell are you two doing?!" She said as she used her foot to twist the man's fist around and flip him over. "He's just a kid!" She said as she stood up tall. The two men grinned. "Oh. It's a girl. This your sister, brat? Well then, I guess we can just take her life instead of yours." One man said as he pulled out a gun and shot a bullet at Fune. She dodged it, while thinking "Holy shit. I just dodged a bullet." She swung her foot back around and it snapped onto the man's face, knocking him out immediately. The other man backhanded Fune, but she managed to throw her arm up to block it. She brought her fist out and punched straight forward. "**Snake Sting!**" She cried as the man flew back a good ten feet, landed on his back, and didn't get up.

The boy wiped his eyes and grabbed Fune. "Thank you so much!" He said as he started crying again. "Those guys were being really mean. They wanted me to do some kind of show for them, so I fired off some guns, but one of them got hit, and so I didn't know what to do..." he said as Fune hit him on the top of the head. "Idiot! A little kid like you shouldn't be playing with guns! Where are your parents?" The boy lowered his head. "Dunno. They left a long time again." Fune frowned. "Well, do you have a place that you're staying at?" The boy nodded. "Uh-huh. The mayor's house. Why?" Fune grabbed his hand and dragged him off in a random direction. "Because I'm gonna tell him that you were playing with guns, that's why." The boy suddenly had a look of terror in his eyes. "No! You can't! He'll kill me!" He tried dragging Fune the other way, but she wouldn't budge. "No! We're going!" Suddenly she felt herself being lifted off of the ground. "I said NO!" The boy said as he flipped Fune over his shoulder and ran away.

Fune got up, dusted herself off, and looked after where the boy had ran. "Who the hell was that?" One of the townspeople who had seen the ordeal happen walked up to her and pointed. "That kid? He's a demon. People around here call him 'The Sniper Under 14'. He's only 13, and yet he has done things that pirates can't do. One time he shot an apple from across the island. He doesn't have a real name, but we call him Eclipse. He likes being called Clipse though. Clipse Enigma." Fune frowned. "Why Eclipse?" The townsperson shrugged. "Nobody knows." Fune looked back to where Clipse had run off. "Hmm. That kid seems like he's got a harsh life."

Off in the mountains, however, Rai and Zephyr were having a great time. They had been having competitions in the mountains, and their latest one was going to be the greatest of all. "Allright. First one to kill that wolf bear thing and bring it back to the town wins, got it?" Rai said with a grin. Zephyr nodded. "Uh-huh. Attacking each other is legal." Rai nodded. "Of course." He took out his hooks and ran. "Hey! Dammit, we didn't start yet!" Zephyr yelled as he too ran out from their hiding spot. "**Crow Cut!**" Rai yelled as he sliced the Wolfbear's top layer of skin off of it's shoulders. The Wolfbear howled and slashed at Rai, who deftly dodged it. "Dammit. This thing won't die easily." He thought. Suddenly, he felt a foot on his head. Zephyr grinned as he jumped off of Rai and punched the bear in the face. "**Vorpal Jet!**" He cried as the bear fell to the ground. Rai grinned. "I got this one. **Gorilla Cannon!**" He cried as he horizontally slashed the animal in half. Zephyr picked up the bigger half and ran. "I'm gonna win!" He said with glee. Rai swore under his breath and picked up the other half. "No way, dammit!" He said as he pursued Zephyr.

Meanwhile, Fune had finally reached what she thought was the mayor's house. She knocked on the door and a very important man emerged wearing a tuxedo and a grey toupee. "Can I help you, ma'am?" The man said. "Um, I'm looking for the mayor. Is this his house?" Fune asked. The man nodded. "Right this way. The mayor will be with you shortly." He led her to a room where everything was blue. "This is the Royal Room. The mayor will join you here." The butler said as he left to fetch the mayor. Fune nodded and looked around the room. She noticed the one thing that wasn't blue in the room was a picture of an old man with a boy that looked oddly like Clipse. She stared at the painting and noticed something odd; the old man and the boy both looked alike. Suddenly, the door opened, and the man in the photo walked through the door.

"Hello. I'm Mayor Tomas. Did you want to see me?" the man asked. Fune nodded and bowed. "Yes sir, I was wondering if you could answer a couple of questions for me about this boy in the photograph." Tomas frowned. "You mean Clipse? Why? What has he been doing lately?" Fune sighed. "Well..." she told the story to the mayor, who grew redder and redder with anger as it progressed. "Why that little ingrate!" The mayor said when she finished. "I will have him severely punished for this!" He left the room, slamming the door behind him. Worried, Fune left the room and followed him until he exited out the back door. She followed him through town until they reached the forest. She watched the old man sigh and then run into the forest. Alarmed for his safety, she ran in after him.

Soon, Fune found the man yelling at Clipse in a clearing. She hid behind a tree and listened in. "...were found out! Clipse, if you get caught again, you'll get me in trouble!" Tomas said. Clipse hung his head in defeat. "I'm sorry! I didn't know those guys were pirates!" He said with respect. Tomas scowled. "How?! Those two practically reeked of booze and steel! Clipse, what happened to your training? A year ago, you could have known those guys were pirates just by their scent! Now, you can't tell even by looking at them!" He said. Clipse stood and pulled out a pistol. He turned towards where Fune was hiding and fired off two shots. One hit right below Fune's arm, the other hit a branch right in front of Fune's forehead. Terrified, Fune jumped out into the open. Clipse no longer had a look of shame, but instead a look of coldness. "If you're going to spy on us, you might as well just scream I'm here." Clipse said in a completely new voice. Tomas grabbed his pistol and hit him on the head with it. "Idiot! She's a pirate too! And I let her follow me..." Tomas trailed off at the end as Fune pulled out a knife she had hidden in her blouse. "Don't try anything!" She shakily said, her voice cracking.

Clipse sighed. "You shouldn't have followed me." He said as he grabbed the pistol back from Tomas. He shot once again at Fune, who shrieked and ducked her head. However, she suddenly felt that no bullet was coming her way. She opened her eyes and saw a man fall to the ground right in front of her. "Wha-where did he come from?!" Tomas and Fune both thought to themselves. Clipse took the smoking gun and pocketed it. "He followed me when I came out here to train. And you thought I couldn't smell a pirate. This guy reeks just like the guy who took my parents, Grandpa." Fune, recovered, stood up and hit Clipse. "Idiot! Why'd you shoot at me then!" Clipse stood back up, his normal voice back again. "I...I thought it'd get him out of hiding...don't hit me again, please!" He said. Fune, bewildered, pointed at Clipse and looked at the mayor. "What's his deal?" The mayor sighed. "Clipse is...a combat genius. He literally is king of the snipers. But...he hates blood and fighting and all that stuff. So when he was younger, he and I helped him create a second personality. That's the one that fights for him. Clipse himself is just a 13 year old boy."

Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard from the direction of the town. "What the hell was that?!" Fune said. Clipse suddenly had a look of pure terror on his face. "Grandpa...it...smells..." He said, shivering. Tomas' face became deathly white. "No...the Daac Pirates...what more can they take from me?!" He yelled.

Fune looked over at where the cannonball hit. She gasped and her hands flew up to her mouth. "No...NO!" She cried. Tomas and Clipse both stared at where the cannonball hit, and wondered why she was freaking out. "What is it?" They said in unison. Fune pointed to a silver glimmer on the ground next to the crater.

There on the ground...was a silver hook sword.

Ooh...poor Rai. He got hit by a cannonball...or did he? Find out in the next chapter!

R&R. Come on, it'll help feed the hungry (ok, it'll make me feel happy about myself.)

-ShadowEx


End file.
